Middle School 6-8

Native Americans of Coastal South Carolina

Explore Native American culture of coastal South Carolina at the time of European settlement. Handle and use reproduction artifacts, like bows and traps, to learn how local tribes successfully used natural resources available to meet their needs.

Seining the Sea

Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission staff will pull a net through the surf to catch fish, crabs, jellies, and other sea life. Students will have the opportunity to observe these creatures before they are released.

Ecosystems at Caw Caw

Observe the complex communities of organisms found at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center. Students learn about food webs, limiting factors and human influences on the land as they walk the Park’s trails. An investigation of a water sample in the lab completes the program and connects the students to their park.

Program Length: 90 minutes

Grade Levels: 6-8

Fee: $125 per group of up to 25 students

Location: Caw Caw Interpretive Center

Barrier Island Ecology

Students of ecology study the relationship between organisms and their environment. In this program, we will do just that on a barrier island. Participants will build barrier islands out of sand, collect animals in the swash zone, and use a seine net to collect fish in the ocean. Through these activities, students will gain an understanding of the ties that link living things with their environment.

Build Your Own Barrier Island

Barrier islands provide a variety of learning opportunities for students of all ages. In this program, participants will delve into coastal geology by building islands and naming factors that create landscapes unique to the Southeast. Current events involving coastal issues will be discussed at a grade-appropriate level.

Salt Marsh Ecology

The salt marsh is a dynamic and fascinating habitat. Students will become familiar with common plants and resident animals, sample phytoplankton, and gain an appreciation of this unique environment through hands-on exploration.

Program Length: 90 minutes

Grade Levels: 3-8

Fee: $125 per group of up to 25 students

Locations: James Island County Park, Palmetto Islands County Park

Carolina Gold

Explore former rice fields and walk through the various steps required for the cultivation of rice using reproduction artifacts. Examine the roles and influences of enslaved Africans and African Americans on the process, and discuss events associated with the Stono Slave Rebellion that occurred in part at Caw Caw Interpretive Center.

Program Length: 90 minutes

Grade Levels: 6-8

Fee: $125 per group of up to 25 students

Location: Caw Caw Interpretive Center

Carolina Indigo

Experimented with by Eliza Lucas Pinckney, an enslaved man named Quash, and others, Indigo was an important but short lived cash crop in South Carolina. Investigate the science behind this “magic” dye, learn how enslaved men and women cultivated and processed it, and try your hand at dyeing your own t-shirt.

Program Length: 60 minutes

Grade Levels: 6-8

Fee: $125 per group of up to 25 students

Location: Caw Caw Interpretive Center

Participants should bring a cotton t-shirt to dye

Rice & Liberty

The Stono Slave Rebellion was one of the largest uprisings in North America. Students investigate the rebellion and how it relates to the enslavement of Africans on South Carolina's rice plantations.